Footwear



Jan. 15, 1935. H. MALM 1,988,128

FOOTWEAR Filed June 28. 1933 IN V EN TOR. Z

Patented Jan. 15, 1935 FOOTWEAR v Henry Malm, New York, N. Y. I v Application June 23, 1933, Serial No. 677,963

3 Claims. (Cl. 36-74) My invention relates to improvements in waterproof overshoes for ladies footwear and especially in that kind of overshoes which are destined to protect only the front part of ladies shoes, as the.

; heel part on account of the high heel shank usually worn, is elevated sufficiently above the pavementto protect it against immersion. This sort of overshoes, usually made of rubber like other common rubber shoes, are therefore called half-rub bers or toe-rubbers and will be designated bythis name, throughout the following-specification.

Although this special kind of rubber shoes is in itself well known, and appears in different qualities and fashions, the kind presently in use, has

, to any knowledge twomain drawbacks, first that at the point where the sole of the toe-rubber joins the-instep of the shoe, there is usually insufiicient protection against the seeping in of moisture'ancl secondly, as these toe-rubbers are usually held in place, sandal-fashion, by ribbons which either str tch backwardly over the heel portion, the so-called quarter piece of the shoe, or are tied over the ridge of the foot, and such ribbons are provided with buttons or clasps or kindred fastening means, that these fastening means first become loose if they do not fit too loosely from the start already-and ultimately get lost altogether, mostly at a very inopportune occasion.

The first mentioned kind of ribbons which fit around the heel portion, have a tendency to slip upwardly and incommode the tendon of the ankle, just above the rim of the shoe, and both kinds mentioned, if they do not fit closely and resiliently, leave a loose gap where the toe rubber ends below the shoe sole which gives access to moisture seeping in.

The first object of my invention therefore, is to provide a toe-rubber which gives the best possible protection against the entrance of moisture at the edge where it fits the shoe-leather and especially the instep of the sole.

Another object is to provide fastening means which do not require any separate auxiliaries, like buttons, buckles or clasps.

A further object is to provide fastening means which tie the toe-rubber resiliently and automatically to the shoe and can be removed without unfastening any closing mechanism. A further object, subservient to the last one, is to provide fastoning means, forming an integral part of the toerubber.

A further object is to provide a buttonless and claspless toe-rubber, self-contained and consisting of one integral piece.

A final object, comprising all the aforesaid separate objects is toprovide a buttonless toe rubber A forming a single mold, without any attachments, but adapted to form an .automatiowater-tight, andsecure fit upon a ladies shoe. Y I

These various objects are attained by the novel construction,-combination. of elements and ar rangement of parts which will be exemplified in the toe-rubber herein, described and illustrated'in the accompanying drawing. The inventive idea involved is capable of a varietyof modifications and fashions without departing from the principle of the inventiveconcept, and the one shown herewith ought to. be considered asillustrative rather than as restrictive.

.Fig. 1 is a side elevation-showing a toe-rubber, made according to my invention, applied to a ladys'shoef :4,

Fig. 2 isa top view. of thetoe-rubber, apart from the shoe. r 1

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line 33, in Fig. 1 through the rubber, the showing of the shoe and foot being omitted.

Considering the drawing more in detail, designates the sole-part of the toe-rubber, made, as is customary, with a rather solid corrugated under surface and may, if desired, contain any reinforcing of fabric etc., or be made up of rubber layers of special quality in the molding process. This sole part is shown in Fig. 1 and in section in Fig. 3.

Above the sole is provided the body part 11 of the rubber shoe, molded as an integral piece with the sole and so as to provide a tight fit to the size and fashion of shoe it is intended for. An important part is the instep apron or lip 12, forming an upwardly inclined socket in which the descending part of the instep sole rests with a tight fit. The arch of the upper body part can be cut out, as shown by 11a in Fig. 2, and the upper rim of this cut out as well as the rear edge of the instep lip 12 is provided with a beaded border 13 and 14 respectively. 15 indicates the parting seam where the mold portions meet and are jointed during the molding operation.

Forming an integral and inseparable part of the toe-rubber body, a rather substantial band of elastic rubber 16, spans the cut out aperture of the rubber shoe and is positioned in such a way that, when stretched, it passes with suitable tension over the ridge of the foot as shown in Fig. 1.

It is preferably arranged so as to pass beneath the shoe-buckle 17 of the shoe 18, as indicated in Fig. 1. However, in other cases, with buttoned or laced shoes or such with self-closing patent seams, this position is immaterial. This rubber band or ribbon is also preferredly reinforced by two beaded borders 16a and 16b, similar to the borders 13 and 14. It is to be observed that this tie band, having no looking or opening means, depends entirely on its elasticity to be placed and to remain in position, and also on account of its origin of attachment, being opposite to the apron 12 tends to draw the latter into close contact with the instep of the shoe sole.

Another advantage of this one-piece toe-rubber is that when the ribbon or band comes into direct contact with the thin (silk) stocking, as incidentally in Fig. 1, it exerts no irritating pressure upon the skin or causes damage to the fabric, as a butt joint or clasp might easily produce.

To attach the toe-rubbers the tip of the shoe is simply inserted into it and the ribbon is stretched and slipped over the ridge of the foot. They can be removed by simply stripping them ofi. This convenience in manipulating them is not to be overlooked, as in fact a person, who for instance carries a pair of these toe rubbers in her handbag would in an emergency, even if she only had one hand free to use, be able with one hand to attach these slip-over shoes to her feet, as there are no buttons or clasps to handle.

Having described my invention according to the rules of patent practice, what I claim is:

1. An elastic over-shoe comprising a body portion consisting of a lower part for embracing the lower portion of a shoe, an upper part connected to said lower part for overlying the toe of the shoe, a sole part connected to said first mentioned part, a shank part extending upwardly from the rear of said sole part to cover the shank of the shoe and an elastic band connected to said body portion for extending over the instep of the foot, said shank part extending beyond the point of connection between the elastic band and the body portion in the form of a lip the rear edge of which is curved from said point of connection to the shank part of the lip to bring said edge into close engagement with the sides of the shoe adjacent said rear edge, when said elastic band is drawn into tight-fitting relationship with said shoe.

2. An elastic over-shoe comprising a body portion consisting of a lower part for embracing the lower portion of a shoe, an upper part connected to said lower part for overlying the toe of the shoe, a sole part connected to said first mentioned part, a shank part extending upwardly from the rear of said sole part to cover the shank of the shoe and an elastic band connected to said body portion for extending over the instep of the foot, said shank part extending beyond the point of connection between the elastic band and the body portion in the form of a lip, the rear edge of which is curved in the form of an inverted S from said point of connection to the shank part of the lip to bring said edge into close engagement with the sides of the shoe adjacent said rear edge, when said elastic band is drawn into tight-fitting relationship with said shoe.

3. An elastic over-shoe comprising a body portion for embracing the toe of a shoe, a shank part to cover the shank of the shoe and an elastic band connected to said body portion for extending over the instep of the foot, said shank part extending beyond the point of connection between the elastic band and the body portion in the form of a lip, the rear edge of which is curved from said point of connection to the shank part of the lip to bring said edge into close engagement with the sides of the shoe adjacent said rear edge, when said elastic band is drawn into tight-fitting relationship with said shoe.

HENRY MALM. 

